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It isn't a huge surprise that many of the best and well-known restaurants in the GVRD are located in Downtown or at least close by. That is not a revelation as this is pretty much the same in any other major city in the world. With housing and operational costs being so expensive in the Downtown core, we are seeing more and more people, along with the accompanying services, pop up in the suburbs. One of the newest, and in my opinion the nicest, developments is the Shipyards in North Vancouver. Mijune and I were recently invited to try out Seaside Provisions located in the Seaside Hotel smack dab in the middle of the action within the trendy Shipyards District. Also, I returned with my family within the week to try more items on our own coin.
With a focus on seafood, it was no surprise they started us off with some Kushi Oysters accompanied by chili oil vinaigrette, ponzu and and meyer lemon. Properly shucked with no shell fragments, the oysters were beautifully fresh being sweet and briny. Of the 3 sauces, I enjoyed the lemon the most as it was acidic and bright. The ponzu was quite powerful in terms of salt, so only a few drops were needed. Only slightly spicy, the chili oil was nice, yet at the same time, it wasn't necessary for much of it as it would've overwhelmed the delicate oyster. Up next, we were presented with the Steelhead Salmon with nuoc cham, crispy shallot, cucumber ribbons and coriander. Buttery and sweet, the salmon was fresh and served in large slices (that resulted in a meatier texture). I thought the nuoc cham wasn't overpowering (as it could be), but a bit too sweet. More acidity from the lime juice would've brought more life to the dish.
Since we didn't order the Seafood Platter on our initial visit, we were determined to try it out this time around. The platter was actually a 2-tiered tower with the top sporting kushi oysters (with the same accompaniments), crudites, olives, Peruvian peppers, pickled pearl onions, red pepper condiment and tortilla chips. Nothing unusual about this tier other than the properly shucked sweet and briny oysters. On the bottom tier, we found crab cakes, mussels in chili oil, lobster rolls, tuna ceviche, razor clam conserva and ikura. The crispy crab cakes were full of fluffy crab and little filler. We enjoyed the lobster rolls as there was no filler as well. The bread was soft and nicely toasted. Tuna was good, but there was a bit too much filler in the mix though. The real treat was the briny razor clams. Wish we had 2 tins!
Although not on their regular menu (as it was a daily feature), the Seared Sea Scallop was one of our favourites. It was evenly and attractively seared where it was caramelized. The scallop remained buttery soft and naturally sweet. Despite the saltiness of the tamari soy butter, the scallop was still able to stand out. To literally top it off, we found fried cauliflower and sourdough crumble (which helped soak up some of the soy butter). A dollop of chive crème fraîche completed the dish. My favourite of the night had to be the Clam & Mussels "Paella". I put that in quotations because rather than rice, we found pearl barley instead. So no, this wasn't a paella, but it was plenty tasty though. Beyond the fresh and plump bivalves, the matbucha was deliciously savoury and slightly zesty. Lots of flavour and impact to go with the natural sweetness of the clams and mussels. Some fried cauliflower and labne topped off the dish.
Continuing with some of the "small plates" (which were not really all that small), we had the Burrata with white anchovy, chive oil, tomatoes and grilled sourdough from Lift Bakery. Normally, I prefer the burrata whole, but I'm sure this would've increased the price of the dish (which was a reasonable $13.00 as it was served), however, this was not a huge deal. I thought the cheese was creamy and fresh while the tomatoes were plump and bright. I personally love white anchovies, so this was the salty brininess that I was expecting. On the side, the grilled sourdough was crispy with an appealing chewiness. For $12.00, the Grilled Octopus was a substantial dish at very reasonable price. It was also good with braised and then grilled octopus that was tender with an appealing chew. I would've liked to see a bit more char though. Underneath, we found a smooth hummus, caramelized roast fennel and tangy confit gem tomatoes.
In an equally large portion, the Humboldt Squid was also a solid dish. The large slices of squid were attractively grilled where they were tender with a bite. I found that they were seasoned enough on their own but the squeeze of lemon did liven things up. Things stayed bright with the side of quinoa tabbouleh. Flavours were amped by the tangy and aromatic chermoula as well as the nutty tahini. A splash of chili oil added a touch of spice to the dish. Moving onto the larger items, we had the Roasted Free Range Game Hen with ajvar, kale and almond. Tender and juicy, even the breast meat was moist. We would've liked to see the hen crusted with the ajvar instead and then maybe finished off with some charring. This way, the beautiful sweetness of the roasted red pepper would've been activated even more so. Another winner in the value department as it was only $29.00.
Possibly tied with the best dish of the night (with the "Paella"), the Roasted Whole Sea Bass was beautifully prepared. The fish itself featured evenly roasted skin with moist meat underneath. It was fresh and featured the brightness of the sea. It was accented nicely by the vermouth butter sauce, capers, clams, confit garlic and fresh herbs. I enjoyed that the vermouth was definitely apparently while cooked down properly. The sauce did not overwhelm the fish while complimenting it completely. Again, the buttery plump clams were a bonus. On my second visit, we once again ordered the whole fish which was Salmon with mussels in a butter sauce. If you look at the picture, you will notice it wasn't a whole salmon. Rather it was 3 large pieces of salmon. It made sense as a whole salmon might've been too big and really, hard to cook too. Well, they did a good job here as it was crisped up on the outside while being flaky and moist on the inside. Similarly to the other whole fish we had, there was enough shellfish to form a separate dish.
We also had the Wagyu Short Rib with creamed corn, broccolini and chili sauce. The large rib was melt-in-our-mouths tender and fatty. Interestingly, we really enjoyed the creamed corn underneath. It was so appealingly sweet. The broccolini was cooked just enough where it was still crunchy. We weren't sure the Chinese chili sauce was a good match here though. A bit too salty, the dish would've been fine without it. We had one more dish that was different from the first meal in the Gnocchi with wild mushroom, burnt butter molcajete sauce and crispy sage. This was a large portion and also pretty good. Although the gnocchi was on the firmer side, it still had a good mouth feel when chewed. The molcajete was a bit more tomatoey than ones I've had in the past, but this version was perfect for this particular application. Tangy and with just a hint of spice, it brought things alive. Loved the bevy of mushrooms on top as it added both texture and umaminess.
From here we moved to the 3 available desserts including the Churro Donut. This was rather ironic as we had churros and donuts earlier in the day. The concept of the dessert was fine as the churro was crispy and sweet with the usual hit of cinnamon. Further hits of rich sweetness was provided by the dulce de leche underneath. In the centre, there was yogurt with a dusting of dehydrated raspberry powder. The one thing they could've improved here was the oil content as the donut was soaked in too much of it. To lighten things up, the featured Pavolva dessert was just the thing we needed after a filling meal. It was large and crispy on the outside, while exhibiting elements of airy chewiness inside. It was topped off with whipped cream, strawberries marinated in sherry vinegar and sancho pepper powder. I thought the strawberries were impactful providing a sweet fruitiness combined with a natural tang and acidity from the vinegar. Although not that noticeable, the pepper powder did add that "je ne sais quoi" background hit.
Our last dessert consisted of a Dark Chocolate Semifreddo with frangelico, cacao nibs, dulce de leche, cookie crumble and sea salt. This was a solid dessert where the semifreddo was exactly how it should be, semi-frozen where it was firm, but soft enough to separate with a fork. It was lightly sweet with the appealing bitterness from the dark chocolate. The extra shot of sweetness was provided by the dulce de leche. As you can see, my 2 visits pretty much tackled the entire menu. From these experience, I am confident to say that most of the dishes at Seaside Provisions are good. Love the use of an array of ethnic ingredients and sauces in their dishes. Makes things interesting with unique flavour profiles. Portions are generally good for the price and you get a certain Downtown vibe while being on the North Shore.
*First visit was complimentary, but second visit was at our own cost*
The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Well-portioned
- Lively dining space
The Bad:
- Nuoc Cham could've been less sweet
- Churro Donut was too oily
There was a time when we could count on one hand the selection of Mexican Restaurants we could choose from in the GVRD. Of those, there weren't a whole lot of "real Mexican food", rather we had an interpretation of Mexican food. To be fair, Vancouver was probably not ready for RMF anyways. Recently, I was invited to try some of the eats at Maizal RMF (yep, it stands for real Mexican food) on Main Street. The place has been open for about 3 years and is family run. It may not be as sexy as say La Taqueria or Le Mezcaleria, but it serves up honest home-style authentic Mexican food.
There was no doubt we would be trying their Tacos and so we did with all of them! Now everyone knows that a good taco starts with a solid tortilla. They take things seriously here as they make them fresh to order. Our first set was served on blue corn tortillas topped with Barbacoa, Pastor, Carnitas and Chicken. All of them featured meats that were moist and tender. This is not always the case with tacos I've had in the past. Some have argued that Mexican cuisine tends to have drier meats, but I would like to challenge that as I've had otherwise in Mexico itself. Anyways, I particularly liked the carnitas with the creamy avocado on top as well as the airy and crispy chicharrón. Our next set of tacos were served atop corn tortillas consisting of Chipotle Chicken, Beans, Chicken Mole and Pescado. I would've liked to see a bigger piece of fish, but the pescado was fresh and bright due to the salsa. I found the fish to be crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Interestingly, my favourite of the bunch was the beans due to the richness and spice of the flavour profile. The meatiness of the beans negated the fact there was no meat.
On that note, our next two tacos were also vegetarian being the Plantain and Tofu Verde. Featuring roasted plantain, rice, beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and fresco cheese, this taco was not devoid of body nor texture. I found the plantain to be firm enough without being too hard or stiff. There was so much of it, the taco itself was rather filling. Naturally, it was a touch on the sweeter side, but since plantains aren't incredibly sweet on their own, there was balance. Loved the texture of the fried tofu puffs and the green sauce was pleasant, but there was an aftertaste that didn't really scream out Mexican. Maybe frying regular tofu on the flattop might've worked better. Our last set of tacos were the Shrimp with rice, pineapple and black bean. This was predominantly sweet with some spice that worked well with the perfectly cooked shrimp. The rice and beans helped balance out the sweetness.
Something new to the menu (not even on their website), they are featuring brunch items and we sampled the Chilaquiles and Sopes. I found the chilaquiles plenty flavourful from the ample sauce. At the same time, it did soften up quickly due to the thin cut. Eggs were perfectly fried with runny yolks. The sopes were topped with salda verde and sour cream which allowed for brightness to balance off the robust texture of the sopes. Another item off their regular menu that we tried was the Chicken Flautas with served with beans, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, red and green salsa. Essentially two crispy rolled tacos, these sported plenty of shredded chicken. Possibly due to the frying, it wasn't as moist as the chicken we found in the tacos. No matter, it was till good where there was plenty of ingredients to create a hearty meal. With that said, maybe a little less saucing would've kept them crispier for longer too.
Almost an afterthought, theTorta was one of my favourite items of the meal. Beyond the savoury and meaty barbacoa, the star of the show was the bread and its preparation. Light and airy, the bread was toasted just enough that it was crusty and provided so much appealing texture. It also succeeded in keeping the whole thing together while retaining its original texture despite the wet ingredients. Onto the sweets of the meal, we had the Churros with ice cream. These were pretty much textbook with a uniform shape and consistent crunchiness on the outside. They were fried in oil that was hot enough so that there was little absorption. Inside, there was a light fluffy chewiness. There was enough cinnamon sugar for effect without being overwhelming.
Last but certainly not least, their version of a Tres Leche Cake was a lot lighter due to the use of a Japanese-style angel food cake as the base. Soaked in just enough of the 3 milk mixture, it was moist and purposefully sweet and aromatic. Loved the nuts on top as it added both texture and nuttiness. Wish there was more though. Overall, the food at Maizal is fresh and prepared with pride. The food definitely reflects the influence from Rodrigo's mother. As mentioned, Maizal may not have the cachet as some of the other higher profile Mexican spots in town, but it does dish up authentic eats at a reasonable price.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- House-made tortillas
- Solid home-style cooking
- Super nice people
The Bad:
- Chilaquiles could've been crispier
Believe it or not, I've never blogged about Sophie's Cosmic Cafe. Now, it isn't like I've never been there either. It's just that I haven't been back since I've started the blog. Yep, that is over 11 years ago! Now don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Sophie's nor do I dislike the food there. There are 2 reasons for taking this long to return with the first being that there are many newer spots I wanted to try in lieu of Sophie's. Secondly, for something I've had before, I really didn't want to line up for it either. So finally, after all this time, we drove back into Kits (like the 3rd time in 5 days...) passing by the newer Jam Cafe (and their really long lineup) to brunch at Sophie's (with a shorter lineup).
My son did what he usually does for brunch - order the Eggs Benedict. He decided to go with ham rather than the more creative options. When I said ham, it was actually a large slice of ham, not back bacon. It really wasn't a big deal and honestly, the bigger piece of meat made things more hearty and substantial. With perfectly runny eggs and crisp English muffin, this was a decent benny. Only thing that could've been better was the Hollandaise as it wasn't tangy enough hence it ate heavier. For my daughter, she went for the Pastrami & Eggs with home fries and toast. This was "okay" with eggs that were past fluffy. There was quite a bit of pastrami, but it was not the type you'd find in a NY-style deli. No, we weren't expecting that, but the fact this was more like ham didn't give the scramble much in the way of depth. The side of potatoes were mostly soft with a few seared portions.
For myself, I had the Ham & Cheddar Omelette with home fries and toast. This was fairly big and the eggs weren't as overdone as I was expecting. There was plenty of ham and melted cheese in this thing to make it quite the meal. Nothing particularly special, but solid nonetheless. Viv had probably the best of the bunch with the Thick French Toast featuring berries and whipped cream. Completely soaked and coated with eggs, the toast was texturally on point and nutty from the buttery sear on the outside. This was a very good version of French toast. With more brunch options these days, Sophie's is still solid, but doesn't stand out. We found the service to be super friendly and engaging, but sorely lacking (not enough servers, our poor server was doing everything). Hence we didn't get refills when needed and the food took forever. Although Sophie's still holds a place in my heart, I can see why Jam Cafe down the street has a longer lineup.
The Good:
- Still solid food
- Eclectic
- Engaging server
The Bad:
- Not as special as it was back in the day
- Lacking servers, things just didn't get done
You know, I never quite understood the Dark Manor Inn. From the time I walked in there... almost into a wall... because it was so freakin' dark! Yah, I got the idea. It was a spooky place with aptly named cocktails to match. Well, it didn't last despite being related to the more successful Tiki Room in the Waldorf. Now we find that the location was more than a haunted dark room. With floor to ceiling windows and gasp, light, the place has transformed into Say Mercy! brought to you by the good folks from the MacKenzie Room. Jacqueline and I hit up the place recently to check out what Italian and American BBQ have in common.
We decided to get a taste of the menu by opting for the "Jesus Takes the Wheel" menu ($55.00pp). This way, we got one item from every section of the menu beginning with the Dorado Crudo sporting scallion & chili dressing, sun dried olive, Meyer lemon, blood orange, endive and mint. We really enjoyed the buttery fish as it had a good mouth feel and was supremely fresh being naturally sweet. There was a bit too much salt though as it overpowered the citrus. When we added the olive into each bite, the combined saltiness was a bit overwhelming. I loved the crunch of the endive as it added texture and despite the saltiness, I did get the freshness of the mint at the end. The best dish of the night was no doubt the Barbeque Bolognese with spaghetti, pancetta, smoked pork butt and grana padano. As much as the al dente pasta was perfect, the real star was the bolgonese. It was sweet, savoury, smokey and spicy which created layers of impactful flavours. Combined with the meatiness of the pork, this was hearty and addictive.
Onto the meat of the meal, we were served the Beef Rib with a Dr. Pepper spiced glaze and dirty farro . There is no other descriptor than "perfect" for the beef rib. It fell off the bone being succulent and moist. Although there was a lack of penetrated flavours, the glaze made up for that with a sticky sweetness accented by smoke and light spice. Underneath, the farro was equally delicious with tender bits of mortadella, meaty chicken hearts and livers as well as crispy oyster mushroom. On the side, we got the Fresh Bread consisting of Parker House Rolls and focaccia. This was a perfect accompaniment to the pasta as there was so much meat, we could make sandwiches with it. The rich flavours of the bolognese helped bring the bread alive. I particularly liked the rolls as they were soft while having a firmness to them. Great to soak up the sauce.
Our side was very rich being the Roasted Cabbage with fontina cream sauce, crispy shallots and chives. Cheesy and heavy, the slightly salt sauce was best soaked up by the bread rather than used purely for the tender and smoky cabbage. There was more than enough on top already. Loved the crunch of the aromatic shallots. Onto dessert, we were served the Lingonberry Jam Beignet. For me, it was more like a regular jelly donut rather than a beignet. Not that is not a bad thing as it was a good donut. It was a bit denser than I would've liked, but it was hardly a deal-breaker. Loved the filling as it was fruity while not being overwhelmingly sweet. There was also lots of it so every bite of donut was full of lingonberry jam. Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Say Mercy!. The place is definitely lively as the tables are packed tightly. Service was on point and we thought the prices were reasonable.
The Good:
- Solid eats that mesh BBQ and Italian together
- On point service
- Reasonable pricing
The Bad:
- Seating is packed tightly
- Dining room is loud (but we didn't mind)
"Let's go somewhere to celebrate our birthdays!", exclaimed Jacqueline one day. Well, that certainly seemed like a good idea since our birthdays are only 2 days apart. The bigger question is where would we go? She really wanted to try Autostrada in Downtown, but she also knew I had visited the Main Street location before. However, that wasn't a big deal to me because it isn't all about the food (it's a big part). Rather, the company is equally important. Furthermore, not all locations are made equal because at the end of the day, there is a different chef (even if they are cooking the same menu). The best example of this is Kirin, where each location seems to have their own personality.
Just like the last time I ate at Autostrada, we started with the same appies including the Anchovy on Focaccia as well as the Vitello Tonnato. They weren't fooling around with the white anchovies as they were large and completely covered the foccacia. As such, there was no shortage of briny salty tanginess to go with the ample amount of fresh dill, pickled cucumber, radish and herb butter. Loved the textures at play from the crusty toast to the crunch of the cucumber and radish. The dill really came through with a bright herbaceousness. Similar to the last time I had it at the Main Street location, the vitello tonnato was excellent. Sliced thin, the veal was medium and buttery tender. On top, the tuna mayo had a nice viscosity where it was neither too thick nor runny. It was creamy with plenty of seasoning and tuna flavour.
We ended up sharing some pastas including the Rigantoni alla Norma with eggplant, pomodoro and chili. As simple as this was, I actually really enjoyed it due to the bright and tangy tomato sauce. There was enough saltiness for impact without being reliant as the main flavouring agent. Although there was chili in the description, the sauce only had a slight kick. I liked how the eggplant was cooked through while still retaining a certain firmness. As for the pasta, it was al dente with a good bite. My favourite pasta of the night was the Strozzapreti with duck & anchovy ragu. The pasta itself was texturally a delight with a firm springiness. Unlike the version I had at the Main Street location, the ragu was perfect. It was moist while tender with some meatiness. I could definitely taste the duck as well as the saltiness of the anchovy.
Our last pasta was Tagliatelle Bolognese which was also very good. I found the pasta to have a good rebound when chewed. It was firmly al dente while cooked through. The bolognese was rich and meaty with deep tomato flavour. I would say this was a close second to the strozzapreti for best pasta of the night in my opinion. But really, all of the food was on point and delicious. Maybe my eyes deceived me here, I swear these portions were slightly bigger than the Main Street location. Therefore, we were quite full from the meal.
The Good:
- Well-prepared food
- Attentive service
- Legit pastas
The Bad:
- Seating can be a bit squished, but not bad when less busy
Although we have plenty of dessert options in the GVRD, most of them are Asian. Hey, nothing against Asian desserts because I personally love them, especially Bingsoo. However, when I want to grab something like a slice of cake or a French patisserie, it gets really limited. This is especially challenging late at night. Ironically, you can find plenty of Asian-style cakes late at night! LOL... Now Billy Button, one of the newer spots in town, is offering creative desserts that... have an Asian influence. Yah, just can't get away from that!
Perfectly exemplifying their creativeness, the first 2 desserts appear to be an Orange and a large Strawberry (looked more like a tomato, but we got the idea). When accidentally smashed (instead of cut open, my bad...), the orange revealed a centre consisting of marmalade and white chocolate whipped ganache. As sweet as this sounded, it was really mild and almost bland. The same could be said about the insides of the strawberry sporting house-made sorbet jam with fresh strawberry white chocolate ganache. The hits of strawberry were so muted, the missing tang and sweetness were further exacerbated by the expected flavours from its appearance. Now to be fair, these desserts are "Asian-style", so the sweetness is supposed to be mild. Even with that in mind, we thought it was lacking.
Looking more like a fruity noodle soup, the Osmanthus Udon was actually noodles made from panna cotta sitting in a berry sauce with crumble and fresh berries. Yes, this was another "light" tasting dessert, yet at the same time this was probably the intention. Therefore, it was refreshing, fruity and only as sweet as the natural flavours of the berries. I found the noodles to slippery and delicate with very little sweetness. One of the prettiest plates we had was The Garden with cucumber, yogurt mousse, yuzu creameux, raspberry powder and house made crostini. Sorry, this looked way better than it ate. For me, it ate like a strange tzatziki rather than dessert. Yes, when I dug into a bit further, I did get sweetness from yuzu creameaux, but the yogurt and cucumber was all tzatziki for me.
Now onto desserts I actually enjoyed, my favourite was the Salted Caramel Brioche with salted caramel sauce, brown sugar crumble, vanilla Chantilly cream and dark chocolate. I found this ate like a coffee cake in some sense but lighter due to it being brioche. Also, the noticeable sweetness made this the most dessert-like dish of the bunch. Even with that, the caramel was only sweet enough. Texturally, the brioche was on point being soft while retaining some chewiness. My second favourite of the bunch was the Matcha Green Tea Tart featuring matcha souffle on top and a side of matcha sponge cake. I found the tart shell to be firm enough while the souffle portion to be light and airy. There was enough green tea flavour for impact, but once again, it was not very sweet.
The last 2 that I tried were more conventional looking desserts in the Blueberry Tart with blueberry jam, pastry cream and almond sponge cake. With so many blueberries on top, this ate refreshing and light. With blueberries being rather naturally mild-tasting, this was reliant on the jam for an extra kick of flavour. Well, continuing the theme of low sugar, this was not really a flavour bomb. Featuring a red wine poached pear, The Autumn also consisted of chocolate cake and red wine sauce. Similarly to the blueberry tart, a poached pear isn't anything out-of-the-ordinary. So it all came down to execution and I would say they succeeded. It was tender while holding the pear texture while not inundated with red wine. The cake was moist and chocolaty. I think this worked because the expectation was mild-flavours and that it delivered. That probably sums up the issue with Billy Button. Desserts are creative and fun but the expectation of sweetness is never fulfilled. Yes, it appeals to mostly an Asian-palate, but even for me (and yes I'm Asian), it wasn't sweet enough. I guess everything is subjective and those who like really mild-tasting desserts will be fine with it.
The Good:
- Creative and visually-appealing desserts
- Great service
- Not overly sweet for those who want that
The Bad:
- Not sweet enough nor flavourful enough
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It isn't a huge surprise that many of the best and well-known restaurants in the GVRD are located in Downtown or at least close by. That is not a revelation as this is pretty much the same in any other major city in the world. With housing and operational costs being so expensive in the Downtown core, we are seeing more and more people, along with the accompanying services, pop up in the suburbs. One of the newest, and in my opinion the nicest, developments is the Shipyards in North Vancouver. Mijune and I were recently invited to try out Seaside Provisions located in the Seaside Hotel smack dab in the middle of the action within the trendy Shipyards District. Also, I returned with my family within the week to try more items on our own coin.
With a focus on seafood, it was no surprise they started us off with some Kushi Oysters accompanied by chili oil vinaigrette, ponzu and and meyer lemon. Properly shucked with no shell fragments, the oysters were beautifully fresh being sweet and briny. Of the 3 sauces, I enjoyed the lemon the most as it was acidic and bright. The ponzu was quite powerful in terms of salt, so only a few drops were needed. Only slightly spicy, the chili oil was nice, yet at the same time, it wasn't necessary for much of it as it would've overwhelmed the delicate oyster. Up next, we were presented with the Steelhead Salmon with nuoc cham, crispy shallot, cucumber ribbons and coriander. Buttery and sweet, the salmon was fresh and served in large slices (that resulted in a meatier texture). I thought the nuoc cham wasn't overpowering (as it could be), but a bit too sweet. More acidity from the lime juice would've brought more life to the dish.
Since we didn't order the Seafood Platter on our initial visit, we were determined to try it out this time around. The platter was actually a 2-tiered tower with the top sporting kushi oysters (with the same accompaniments), crudites, olives, Peruvian peppers, pickled pearl onions, red pepper condiment and tortilla chips. Nothing unusual about this tier other than the properly shucked sweet and briny oysters. On the bottom tier, we found crab cakes, mussels in chili oil, lobster rolls, tuna ceviche, razor clam conserva and ikura. The crispy crab cakes were full of fluffy crab and little filler. We enjoyed the lobster rolls as there was no filler as well. The bread was soft and nicely toasted. Tuna was good, but there was a bit too much filler in the mix though. The real treat was the briny razor clams. Wish we had 2 tins!
Although not on their regular menu (as it was a daily feature), the Seared Sea Scallop was one of our favourites. It was evenly and attractively seared where it was caramelized. The scallop remained buttery soft and naturally sweet. Despite the saltiness of the tamari soy butter, the scallop was still able to stand out. To literally top it off, we found fried cauliflower and sourdough crumble (which helped soak up some of the soy butter). A dollop of chive crème fraîche completed the dish. My favourite of the night had to be the Clam & Mussels "Paella". I put that in quotations because rather than rice, we found pearl barley instead. So no, this wasn't a paella, but it was plenty tasty though. Beyond the fresh and plump bivalves, the matbucha was deliciously savoury and slightly zesty. Lots of flavour and impact to go with the natural sweetness of the clams and mussels. Some fried cauliflower and labne topped off the dish.
Continuing with some of the "small plates" (which were not really all that small), we had the Burrata with white anchovy, chive oil, tomatoes and grilled sourdough from Lift Bakery. Normally, I prefer the burrata whole, but I'm sure this would've increased the price of the dish (which was a reasonable $13.00 as it was served), however, this was not a huge deal. I thought the cheese was creamy and fresh while the tomatoes were plump and bright. I personally love white anchovies, so this was the salty brininess that I was expecting. On the side, the grilled sourdough was crispy with an appealing chewiness. For $12.00, the Grilled Octopus was a substantial dish at very reasonable price. It was also good with braised and then grilled octopus that was tender with an appealing chew. I would've liked to see a bit more char though. Underneath, we found a smooth hummus, caramelized roast fennel and tangy confit gem tomatoes.
In an equally large portion, the Humboldt Squid was also a solid dish. The large slices of squid were attractively grilled where they were tender with a bite. I found that they were seasoned enough on their own but the squeeze of lemon did liven things up. Things stayed bright with the side of quinoa tabbouleh. Flavours were amped by the tangy and aromatic chermoula as well as the nutty tahini. A splash of chili oil added a touch of spice to the dish. Moving onto the larger items, we had the Roasted Free Range Game Hen with ajvar, kale and almond. Tender and juicy, even the breast meat was moist. We would've liked to see the hen crusted with the ajvar instead and then maybe finished off with some charring. This way, the beautiful sweetness of the roasted red pepper would've been activated even more so. Another winner in the value department as it was only $29.00.
Possibly tied with the best dish of the night (with the "Paella"), the Roasted Whole Sea Bass was beautifully prepared. The fish itself featured evenly roasted skin with moist meat underneath. It was fresh and featured the brightness of the sea. It was accented nicely by the vermouth butter sauce, capers, clams, confit garlic and fresh herbs. I enjoyed that the vermouth was definitely apparently while cooked down properly. The sauce did not overwhelm the fish while complimenting it completely. Again, the buttery plump clams were a bonus. On my second visit, we once again ordered the whole fish which was Salmon with mussels in a butter sauce. If you look at the picture, you will notice it wasn't a whole salmon. Rather it was 3 large pieces of salmon. It made sense as a whole salmon might've been too big and really, hard to cook too. Well, they did a good job here as it was crisped up on the outside while being flaky and moist on the inside. Similarly to the other whole fish we had, there was enough shellfish to form a separate dish.
We also had the Wagyu Short Rib with creamed corn, broccolini and chili sauce. The large rib was melt-in-our-mouths tender and fatty. Interestingly, we really enjoyed the creamed corn underneath. It was so appealingly sweet. The broccolini was cooked just enough where it was still crunchy. We weren't sure the Chinese chili sauce was a good match here though. A bit too salty, the dish would've been fine without it. We had one more dish that was different from the first meal in the Gnocchi with wild mushroom, burnt butter molcajete sauce and crispy sage. This was a large portion and also pretty good. Although the gnocchi was on the firmer side, it still had a good mouth feel when chewed. The molcajete was a bit more tomatoey than ones I've had in the past, but this version was perfect for this particular application. Tangy and with just a hint of spice, it brought things alive. Loved the bevy of mushrooms on top as it added both texture and umaminess.
From here we moved to the 3 available desserts including the Churro Donut. This was rather ironic as we had churros and donuts earlier in the day. The concept of the dessert was fine as the churro was crispy and sweet with the usual hit of cinnamon. Further hits of rich sweetness was provided by the dulce de leche underneath. In the centre, there was yogurt with a dusting of dehydrated raspberry powder. The one thing they could've improved here was the oil content as the donut was soaked in too much of it. To lighten things up, the featured Pavolva dessert was just the thing we needed after a filling meal. It was large and crispy on the outside, while exhibiting elements of airy chewiness inside. It was topped off with whipped cream, strawberries marinated in sherry vinegar and sancho pepper powder. I thought the strawberries were impactful providing a sweet fruitiness combined with a natural tang and acidity from the vinegar. Although not that noticeable, the pepper powder did add that "je ne sais quoi" background hit.
Our last dessert consisted of a Dark Chocolate Semifreddo with frangelico, cacao nibs, dulce de leche, cookie crumble and sea salt. This was a solid dessert where the semifreddo was exactly how it should be, semi-frozen where it was firm, but soft enough to separate with a fork. It was lightly sweet with the appealing bitterness from the dark chocolate. The extra shot of sweetness was provided by the dulce de leche. As you can see, my 2 visits pretty much tackled the entire menu. From these experience, I am confident to say that most of the dishes at Seaside Provisions are good. Love the use of an array of ethnic ingredients and sauces in their dishes. Makes things interesting with unique flavour profiles. Portions are generally good for the price and you get a certain Downtown vibe while being on the North Shore.
